Electric fixture attaching means



Jall- 1942- w. s. KLEIN 2,268,831

ELECTRIC FIXTURE ATTACHING MEANS Filed July 13, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 6, 1942. w. s. KLEIN ELECTRIC FIXTURE ATTACHING MEANS Filed July 1:5, 19:59

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M m 7 B v :5 "m v 1 x! I 1 1 J [in my w u Patented Jan. 6, 1942 T D ATE m F CE I 2,268,831 I h ELECTRIC FlIXTURE ATTACHL'NG MEANS William Shanley Klein, Los Angeles, Calif. ApplicationJuly 13, 1939, see-aim. 2 851,329

3 Claims. 01. 240 1) This invention relates to means for attaching an electric lamp or other electric fixture to a table top or like support-and for electricallyconnecting the lamp or fixture with an attachment cord that may be plugged into any convenient house wiring outlet receptacle to derive the current necessary for operation of the electric lamp or fixture. a I

By means of the present invention, the lamp or fixture can be easily and quickly set up and the necessary electrical connection can be simultaneously made by a simple operation requiring no special skill or experience, the construction being such as to prevent the lamp or fixture from being accidentally knocked off of the table top or other support to which it is attached.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with,

the accompanying drawings, and theinvention consists in the novel form, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown insaid drawings and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view showing a lamp attached to a ,table top in-accordance with the present invention, the lamp being in elevation and partly broken away, and the tabletop being in section. I

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 22 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on-line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the base of the lamp shown in Figures 1 and-2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates a horizontal support such as the top of-acard table, said support having an opening 6 therethrough at a point where the lamp or fixture is to be mounted. Secured upon the support 5 by means of screws I or the like is a face plate 8 provided with a central sleeve member 9 fitting in the opening 6 of the support 5 and defining a central opening in said face plate 8 within which is rotatably fitted the insulating body IU of a socket member provided with the usual contact accidental displacement, or from being readily I0 and cap member I3 are preferablyprovided with. cooperating threaded metal sleeves as at Ilia so as to provide a more durable construction than would be presented by providing the parts I0. and I3 with direct threads for their interen-r gagement. It will be understood that the attachment cord I5 will be provided on its other end with a suitable attachment plug, not shown, whereby the socket'member I0, etc., may be electrically connected to any convenient floor or wall outlet receptacle of a house wiring system.

' The lamp or fixture includes a standard which may consist of an inner stem I6 and an outer finishing tube I1. The lamp or fixture further includes a base I 8 of insulating material in which the lower'end of stem I6 is threaded and over the reduced upper portion of which the lower end of finishing tube I1 is fitted as respectively in-,

dicated at I9.and 28 in Figure 2. Thestem I6 encloses the wires 26 which lead to the lamps or other current consuming devices carried by the fixture, and the lower ends of these wires are respectively attached to contact pins 21 secured to and depending from the base I8 of the lamp or fixture, within a central recess 28 provided in the bottom of said base I8. The arrangement is such that when the lamp or fixture is set upon the face plate 8, the.pins 2'! may beinserted in the openings II of the socket member or body It so as to engage thesocket contacts I2 and proor fixture and theattachment cord I5. Due to the engagement of the projecting contact pins '27 in the openings I I of the socket member III, the lamp or fixture will be prevented fromready knocked-01f of thetable top orv support 5. However, a more secure attachment of the lamp or fixture to the support 5 may be effected by providing positive means for connecting the base I8 of the lamp or fixture with the support 5. As shown, one of the many ways of doing this may consist in providing the bottom of base I8 with a plurality of depending headed pins 29 in surpin receiving openings II within which are dis- 7 posed the contacts I2. Threaded on the lower end of the body member ID of the sockets is a cap I3, and the top of the body ID has a fiange I4 engaging the face plate 8 whereby the body I l2 as shown clearly in Figure 2. The socket body rounding relation to the recess 28, and by providing the face plate 8 with key slots 30 in which saidheaded pins are engageable. The arrangement 'is such that when the contact pins 21 are inserted in the openings I I of the socket member II], the heads of pins 29 may pass through the enlarged ends of the key hole slots 38, and by subsequently turning the lamp or fixture about a vertical axis, the heads of the pins 29 may engage under the face plate 8 at the smaller ends of the key hole slots 30 for providing a positive connection between the lamp or fixture and the face plate 8. This turning of the fixture or lamp is permitted by reason of the fact that the plug body In is capable of turning in the sleeve member 9 of face plate 8, as will be necessary when the contact pins 21 are engaged in the openings II. By reason of this arrangement, the lamp or fixture cannot even be upwardly displaced accidentally and can only be removed by intentional turning of the lamp or fixture and then upward displacement thereof after the heads of the pins 29 are alined or registered with the larger ends of the key hole slots 30.

It will be seen that the present device is especially useful in connection with the attachment of lamps or other fixtures to portable articles that are adapted to be moved from one place to another, such as card tables and the like. The attachment cord I5 together with its end socket and plug members will be carried by this portable article and movable with it. At the same time, one end of the attachment cord l5 may be readily plugged into any convenient outlet'receptacle of a house wiring system when the portable article is set in the desired position for use, thereby conveniently deriving the necessary current for operation of the fixture or lamp attached to the supporting member 5 of this portable articlei Also, such lamp or fixture, when attached to the supporting member 5 in the manner and by the means described, will be eifectively connected or attached to said supporting memher, 5 so as to be effectively prevented from accidental displacement off of said supporting member. Obviously, the supporting member 5 may be provided with one or more lamps or fixtures in accordance with the present invention at the most suitable point or points. Thus, in the case of card tables or the like, the lamps used may be arranged to give proper light.

The base i8 of the lamp or fixture may also be provided with depending rigid pins 3| engageable in openings 32 in the socket body In so as to cause the latter to turn without straining the contact pins 2'! when the lamp or fixture is L turned to engage or release the headed pins 29 with respect to face plate 8.

What I claim as new is:

1. The combination of a portable table having a top provided with an opening, an attachment cord having a socket member at one end and adapted to have its other end plugged into an outlet receptacle, said socket member being mounted in said opening, and an electric lamp having a base provided with projecting contact pinsengageable in said socket member when said base is disposed upon said table top for pro viding an electrical connection between the lamp and said attachment cord, a face plate secured on said table top and having a central sleeve member fitted within said opening and within which the body of said socket member is rotatably fitted and secured, said face plate having a plurality of key hole slots, and depending headed pins carried by the base of the lamp and engageable in said key hole slots for attaching the lamp to said table top upon rotation of the lamp relative to said table top.

2. The combination of a portable table having a top provided with an opening, an attachment cord having a socket member at one end and adapted to have its other end plugged into an outlet receptacle, said socket member being mounted in said opening, an electric lamp having a base provided with projecting contact pins engageable in said socket member when said base is disposed upon said table top for providing an electrical connection between the lamp and said attachment cord, a face plate secured on said table top and having a central sleeve member disposed within said opening and within which the body of said socket member is rotatably fitted and secured, saidface plate having a plurality of key hole slots, depending headed pins carried by the base of the lamp and engageable in said key hole slots for attaching the lamp to said table top upon rotation of the lamp relative to said table top, and additional rigid pins depending from the base of the lamp, the body of said socket member having openings receiving the last-named pins when the contact pins of said base are engaged in said socket member, whereby turning of the socket member with the lamp may be eifected without placing lateral strain on the contact pins of said lamp.

3. In combination with a portable table having a top provided with an opening, an attachment cord having a socket member at one end and adapted to have its other end plugged into an outlet receptacle, a face plate secured to said table top and having a central sleeve member fitted in said opening, said socket member having a body rotatably fitted and secured in said sleeve member, a lamp having a base provided with depending contact pins engageabl in said socket member to provide an electrical connection between the lamp and said attachment cord, said face plate having. a plurality of key hole slots, and headed pins depending from said base memher and engageable in said key hole slots upon rotation of the lamp relative to said face plate to provide a positive detachable connection between the lamp and the table top.

WILLIAM SHANLEY KLEIN. 

